The Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group works to help people whose rights have been violated and investigates cases involving such abuse, as well as assessing the overall human rights situation in Ukraine. The Group also seeks to develop awareness of human rights issues through public events and its various publications

The parliamentary factions “Nasha Ukraina” and the Bloc of Yulia Tymoshenko have demanded that the Prosecutor General give legal assessment of the inaction of the police during the beating up of people in Kharkiv. A statement to this effect was made in the Verkhovna Rada by State Deputy Lilya Hryhorovych.

The parliamentarians are also insisting that the law enforcement agencies to carry out an investigation without delay and call on parliament to form a committee to look into the incident.

Hryhorovych stated that on 16 December, during a peaceful meeting Kharkiv residents were attacked. “A group of robust young people who arrived on coaches, led by Mayor Dobkin, organized the beating up of 30 people”. She said that 5 of those injured were presently in hospital.

During the session, video footage with scenes from the assault was shown.

Deputy from the Party of the Regions Dmytro Svyatash in turn claimed that this was provocation. “We have just seen rigged footage which was provocation by people who came to a peaceful demonstration”. He demanded that an expert analysis be carried out of the video.

On behalf of the Party of the Regions Dmytro Svyatash expressed outrage at the incident and the hope that those responsible would be punished. In addition he asserted that neither the Party of the Regions nor the Mayor of Kharkiv had any relation to this organization. He claimed that on the video one could see that Mayor Dobkin was trying to stop the assault and calling on all to disperse.

Previously the civic organization “City Watch” accused the Mayor of Kharkiv Mykhailo Dobkin of provoking unrest in the city.

The leader of “City Watch” Vladyslav Protas stated that on 16 December in Kharkiv near the building at 197 Klochkivska St. the forced seizure took place of a land site where the commercial group Target was planning to build a shopping and entertainment centre.

Vladyslav Protas asserted that the incident had been attended by local residents, activists of the Kharkiv youth organization of the Party of the Regions, the Green Party, representatives of the law enforcement agencies, deputies of the Regional Council, as well as Kharkivs Mayor Dobkin.

He added that after the demonstration held there, cranes appeared which destroyed the fencing and demonstratively burst onto the territory of the site where the Target construction was planned.

The leader of “City Watch” said that the activists had beaten up 20 guards and 10 passers by and local residents. The police, according to Protas, had not responded in any way. He repeated that he accused Dobkin of provoking these actions.

On 31 May the Kharkiv City Council revoked and suspended the force of several decisions of the previous makeup of the Council allocating land sites to businesses for construction and locating of “small architectural forms” [kiosks and similar – translator].